The Butter Room is a small shop, so it’s not easy to find. Here are the best directions: walk to Katherine Place and look for rabbits – a lot of them. The glass facade is covered in bunny decals, from the heart-shaped herd in the window to the ears on the door. Inside, butter-coloured walls, gingham tablecloths and mismatched chairs create a warm and inviting feel.
The Korean-inspired bakery is by husband and wife Hong Kim and Ara Cho, whose pastries are more theatrical than most. The pick of the bunch is the lava pandoro. This Italian sweet bread arrives topped with a chimney filled with strawberry, injeolmi (rice cake) or matcha sauce. Once you remove it, the sauce cascades down the sides, almost in slow motion.
Other photogenic options include the cream cheese garlic bulb – a Korean take on garlic bread, popular as a street snack in Seoul. Also on offer are big slices of cake, from fluffy sponges to cheesecakes. Viennoiserie classics such as croissants (some filled with injeolmi cream) and pains au chocolat are here, alongside Korean specialties such as soboro – a pastry stuffed with red bean paste. The canelés dipped in matcha-flavoured chocolate are a crowd favourite.
The drinks are show stopping in their own way. There are purple sweet potato lattes; Dalgona coffees; a Dirty Matcha, which layers espresso with matcha cream; and the Rabbit Cream – a creamy coffee that’s just as good hot as it is cold.
